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DON'T STAY HERE! Why don't people read these reviews and take them seriously. This place is the filthiest place you have ever seen. It is broken down with broken windows and doors that don't lock right. You will need a shower after you leave there. I didn't look at the reviews before staying there so PLEASE do yourself a favor and pay a little more to stay elsewhere. Sleeping outside would be better. I don't know why the owners don't clean this place up. It really should be shut down. It is OFFENSIVE that the owners let it go like this.

Room Tip: There are no good rooms here!none!

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Stayed December 2012, traveled with family

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Ask jbeasley8292 about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

jbeasley8292 has 1 more review of Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

From the get go this hotel stay was just awful. Whoever owns and operates this place should be deeply ashamed of themselves. Don't they have any pride of ownership? How can they in good conscience collect money from people for such a NASTY place?The thing is that I read some decent reviews of it and I have stayed at other Vagabond Inns in other cities that were just fine. They are budget for sure, but usually clean and comfortable. And this hotel really looked good on the outside. The pool area was pretty (until you got up close) and the registration office is quite nice. And there are two young women who at the front desk that were really sweet. I feel sorry that they are stuck in jobs at Hotel Hell.The first room they put me in had no working deadbolt. I am a single female travelling alone so this was just not going to work. What made it worse was that the room was on the back side of the hotel with terrible lighting and no security cameras. I called the front desk and asked for another room. 20 minutes later the maintenance guy shows up. I show him the broken deadbolt. He points to the lock on the doorknob and says in surly broken english for me to use that one. I said absolutely not. I want a room with a deadbolt. Got it.The second room I got had a working deadbolt but can I just say that it is one of the nastiest hotel rooms I had ever been in. The walls were filthy. The window locks broken. The furniture is scratched and chipped. Drawers falling out of the dresser. Holes in the bedspread. Holes in the sheets. The carpeting was shredded in a few spots. They didn't even clean the toilet properly. I've stayed in plenty of "budget" motels and hotels. So I know what to expect. But this is worse than the worst Motel 6 I was forced to stay in off Hwy 5 in Coalinga. And that place was BAD. I did use the pool and it was okay until you got up close to the sides of the pool and saw all the mold in the cracked concrete. They have free WiFi but its not easy. They don't give you a code when you check in. You have to call the front desk. They give you a code and then it takes about 10 minutes to find the right sign in page.I booked the place for four nights, only stayed for two. I would have left sooner but would have lost money. The morning after my first night at Hotel Hell, I found a housekeeper and told her that I did not need housekeeping but could I please have extra towels and some coffee packs for the next day. She said thats not my room and walked away. So I called the front desk and asked for the same thing. Of course I never got the towels or coffee.Added to all the fun, was the other people staying there who felt it necessary to hold lengthy loud conversations outside my window at 4:30am. This isn't the hotels fault. But I am certain if I called the front desk, I would have gotten no help. What was the point.The morning after my first night there I got on Priceline and booked a Holiday Inn for $70.00 a night. That is just $10.00 more than I was paying at Hotel Hell. What a difference.I'm from the Costa Mesa area. Here's a tip. If you are on a budget, first try to bid for something on Priceline (3.5 Stars and above). If you can't get something on Priceline. On Newport Boulevard near 19th street is a Travelodge that isn't bad at all. The La Quinta on the other side of the freeway from the Vagabond Inn isn't too bad either. Just stay out of the Vagabond Inn unless you really don't care or really need a room. Personally, I'd sleep in my car first.

Room Tip: Don't do it

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Stayed September 2012, traveled solo

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Ask Lux T about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

We stayed at this hotel for a little getaway/work related stay. Reading the other reviews on other sites, most complained about road noise. That really only applies if you get a room on the side by the freeway, its located literally right off the 405. We had a room on the opposite/street side, and it was relatively quiet. Aside from our neighbor constantly slamming their door and stomping past at all hours of the night, it was not a bad stay. The cable is limited, and there is no fridge/microwave, although we stayed in the basic suite. In-n-out is in the same parking lot, gas stations and Chick-fil-a is right across the street, the hotel itself is at a pretty good location, beach would only be about 25 mins away, possibly more with traffic but otherwise that's pretty darn good! It's not a swanky hotel, so don't expect perks. The carpet, while clean, is stained, you can see repairs on the walls, and I don't know about other rooms, but only one lock on the door (the knob itself) worked, so security may be an issue for some. We were able to park nearly right under our room (we were on the second floor) so that was nice since keeping an eye on my car is very important to me. They have a pool/jacuzzi, but we didn't use it, but it looked nice. Check out is at noon, which was nice for a late night. The clerks seemed a bit slow, and even a little rude upon checkout, I can understand running a tight ship, but still, the lady couldn't even smile. To me, customer service should be king, especially since I work in it, and I really wasn't impressed at all with the staff. The cleaning crew were very nice and smiled, said hi, but the desk people were either under-trained, or just apathetic and on the verge of pushy. This may just be the weekend crew, but still...

Room Tip: Rooms on the south side are quieter, as this is the side that doesn't sit right next to the free...

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Stayed September 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask d3vilkitten about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Got this room on priceline for $45 plus tax. Yes, it's cheap. And no, I didn't expect much. But even with my low expecatations, this place managed to disappoint. I should have just paid another $10 - $20 and gotten a better room someplace nearby (like the Extended Stay America for example).

There was riff raff and thugs hanging out in front of their hotel rooms. Most of the room (except for bed) looked run down, dirty, old, in need of replacement. The AC hardly worked, my room was hot all night.

the front desk clerk ignored me when I walked in and greeted her (both on check in and check out). She hardly spoke a word and never said thanks, your welcome, etc. Clearly the staff here could care less about being friendly.

There was an RV parked in the parking lot with a dog barking all night, and there were people sleeping in their vehicles in the parking lot (no security at all here apparently).

The only positive aspect about this hotel was the bed and pillows. They were above average for a $45 room.

But I would advise everyone reading this to look elsewhere.

Stayed September 2012, traveled on business

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Ask Mike H about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

I stayed here for 2 nights after someone recommended it to me. The staff was great. The pool area was nice and there are places close by to eat. There is an In-N-Out Burger right next to the parking lot. The rooms are old and need of a remodeling. The first night we stayed in a room where someone had obviously made a smoking room out of a non-smoking room. The place smelled like cigars. Horrible! The carpet was very stained and all of the furniture was well worn. We put up with it because we got there late at night and just wanted to sleep. In the morning we told the staff at the front desk about the smell in the room and they were very helpful getting us a new room for the next night. The first new room we tried smelled so musty and like mold that we asked to change again. The second room also smelled like mold, just not quite as bad and we decided to stay there. Both rooms had the stained carpet and worn furniture and were very dated. I was on an 11 day trip and stayed in five different places and this was by far the worse place I stayed during the entire trip. There are some other motels nearby and if I stay in the area again, I’ll check them out.

Stayed July 2012, traveled as a couple

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Ask Steve C about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

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I posted this review a couple days ago, but don't see it displayed for others to see, which I think is very important. This hotel has gone through some major upgrades since I lived in Costa Mesa 8 years ago. That's the only reason we stayed. But when we had an issue with bugs all over our bed, and were treated like we were by the management...I was furious. The cleaning staff is very, very nice. The pool is great...and the place has really been upgraded. But, when your bed is full of bugs, and you try to get clean sheets in the middle of the night...it's a MAJOR problem for them...and we were told that WE must have put food in our beds! Then, when you complain the next day about it...you are treated horribly...and that's a bad thing after not getting any sleep because your bed was full of ants!! We were told, "It's not our fault there are ants in your room and all over your bed." What???? And this was a 2nd story room. I would never, ever stay here again.

Room Tip: Rooms facing the pool are better.

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Stayed August 2012, traveled with family

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Ask LaurieLPhoto about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

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Starting with the pros, the management and staff of Vagabond Inn, Costa Mesa/Orange Co., CA couldn't have been nicer and more accommodating. The manager/shuttle driver was extremely nice and went to great lengths to make our stay there as nice as possible. The housekeeping staff was A+. They could have been working in the most expensive hotels. The room was cleaned daily, no matter what time we left the room. There were always fresh towels, soaps, shampoo, etc.--even a little animal made out of the washcloth. The front desk staff were also very nice. The price was unheard of! It was very economical for a room with frig, coffee pot, microwave, hair dryer. The pool was very pretty--not just you ordinary rectangular small hotel pool. It was shaped like Mickey Mouse! Nice hot tub also. The hotel also offered free shuttle service to and from John Wayne Airport, which we used. Now for the cons. The rooms are in extreme need of renovation. On this one trip to CA we stayed for 4 night, went to sightsee in CA and came back for 3 more nights. We had 2 different rooms and they both smelled strongly of smoke or mold or something. The carpet and drapes need to be replaced!!! There was an armchair in both rooms that looked dingy--one with a tear in the back cushion. If these renovations were made, the hotel could charge more for the rooms. There is certainly room for that in the price/night. If we returned, we would check first to see if the renovations have been made.

Stayed July 2012, traveled with family

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Ask Anne H about Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport

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Vagabond Hotel Costa Mesa

Vagabond Inn Costa Mesa/Orange County Airport CA

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